Thu, 03/11/2010 - 00:00

Tight schedule adds a hurdle for Rachel

Barbara D. Livingston
"I thought her 2009 campaign, by the end of it, she was just tired," assistant trainer Scott Blasi said of Rachel Alexandra.

NEW ORLEANS - As any handicapper knows by now, Daily Racing Form keeps detailed trainer statistics. First-time starters, claimers, blinkers on, so on and so forth. The shorthand for one category is +180 Days - that is, win percentage with horses returning from a layoff of a half-year or longer. Steve Asmussen bats .170 in +180 Days, a good, solid mark.

Thu, 03/11/2010 - 00:00

Zenyatta a total pro in the morning, too

Barbara D. Livingston
Zenyatta has had 81 workouts over the last three years and nine months.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The high-profile numbers in Zenyatta's career are easy to remember - 14 wins, 2 championships, and 0 career losses.

To get there, Zenyatta has had 81 workouts over the last three years and nine months. And as brilliant as her races have been to her adoring fans, her workouts have left trainer John Shirreffs with the same impression. Since the first time she worked, Shirreffs says he has never walked away disappointed from one of Zenyatta's workouts.

"I can't remember that," Shirreffs said last weekend.

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 00:00

Rockingham won't hold harness meet

Rockingham Park in New Hampshire will not hold a live harness racing meet this year, the track announced on Wednesday, citing the state legislature's decision last year to rescind funding for the New Hampshire Racing and Charitable Gaming Commission.

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 00:00

Game On Dude trying the big time

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Game On Dude will enter the March 20 Florida Derby with only two starts under his belt, but what he lacks in experience, he more than makes up in talent, said his trainer, Michael Mareina.

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 00:00

Hollinger tops Queen's Plate book

Hollinger, undefeated in four starts and Canada's champion 2-year-old of 2009, has been made the 5-2 favorite in the annual Queen's Plate winter book.

The hypothetical exercise, compiled for the first time by Adam Hickman of Woodbine's media communications department, assigned odds to the 100 Canadian-bred 3-year-olds nominated to the $1 million Queen's Plate, a 1 1/4-mile race that will be run at Woodbine on July 4.

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 00:00

Blinkers off for Beautician in Honeybee

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. Trainer Ken McPeek has brought Beautician from Florida to run this weekend at Oaklawn. The runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, she will be removing blinkers Saturday for the Grade 3, $125,000 Honeybee. The 1 1/16-mile race is the local prep for the Grade 2, $300,000 Fantasy.

Beautician added blinkers for the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park in her last start Dec. 20 and finished seventh as the favorite.

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 00:00

Noble's Promise should shine on dirt

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Noble's Promise has raced exclusively on synthetic and turf surfaces to this point in his career, but there are reasons to believe that the Grade 1 winner might be an even better horse on dirt. More will be learned Saturday, when Noble's Promise runs in the Grade 2, $300,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 00:00

Donna Getyourgun supplements to Cicada

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - In addition to the recent spate of 50-degree-plus days, another sign that spring is on the horizon is when horses start shipping to New York from south Florida. Five of the eight 3-year-old fillies entered for Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct made their last start at Gulfstream Park.

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 00:00

Super Saver heads Tampa Derby field

Barbara D. Livingston
Super Saver is one of several Derby hopefuls owned by WinStar Farm.

WinStar Farm has had considerable success over the years using the major 3-year-old races at Tampa Bay Downs as preps on the road to the Kentucky Derby. Earlier this winter, WinStar won the with Rule and on Saturday they'll return with another of their top Derby prospects, Super Saver, who will head a field of seven in the $300,000 Tampa Bay Derby.

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 00:00

Skwhirl wins stakes, statebred award on same day

Skwhirl, trained by Bob Rising, was named the top older Nebraska-bred last Saturday when the Nebraska Thoroughbred Breeders' Association honored the best statebreds of 2009.

Earlier in the day, Skwhirl had scored an impressive 3 1/2-length win in the $25,800 Ogataul Stakes at Fonner Park, capturing the race for the second straight year. Skwhirl, bred by James Barney and David Anderson, earned $42,798 while posting a mark of 2-3-5 from 15 starts last year.